Drones
Drone Flight Controllers Compared: Pixhawk, Companion Computers and FPV Boards
How to choose a flight controller for mapping drones, robotics and FPV — redundancy, ports and companion computers.
· 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Pixhawk boards run PX4 and ArduPilot for autonomous missions.
- Companion computers add AI vision and on-board decision making.
- Fixed-wing and VTOL builds need wing-specific controllers.
- NDAA-compliant hardware is often required for government work.
Autopilot-class controllers
For mapping, inspection and delivery, an open-standard autopilot with redundant IMUs is the safe choice. It supports waypoint missions, geofencing and failsafes.
Adding AI with a companion computer
Pairing the autopilot with an NVIDIA Jetson lets the drone run object detection, tracking and obstacle avoidance on board — no cloud link needed.
Raspberry Pi as a lighter companion
If you need telemetry, logging or simple vision rather than heavy AI, a Raspberry Pi compute-module baseboard is a lighter, cheaper option.
Fixed-wing and VTOL
Planes and VTOL aircraft need controllers tuned for control surfaces and airspeed sensors, often with NDAA compliance.
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